John McCain and Barack Obama appeared at a candidate forum at Rick Warren's Saddleback church last night. Since most of us were watching Michael Phelps, here is the transcript. Rod Dreher also live blogged both the Obama and McCain sessions. Here is the CNN story which allows you to view video of the event. Victor Davis Hansen is worth reading (scroll down) as is Roger Kimball, who takes apart Obama's remarkably weak answer to the question "When does life begin?" Sayeth Kimball:
I find it difficult to believe that any candid person could regard Obama’s response as anything but an insulting and mendacious equivocation. It is insulting because it ostentatiously evades the question while giving a little wink to his home team: “Oh, these religious morons and their obsession with abortion! Of course, I could care less about it, but I also know it’s impolitic to say so, so I’ll emit a brief rhetoric fog and hope no one will notice.” And it’s mendacious because when it comes to “pay grades,” no one’s is higher than the President’s. If a man who aspires to the highest office in the land cannot respond to a pointed question about an important moral issue without taking refuge in empty sophistries, how will he deal with the myriad difficult issues with which the President is confronted daily? It seems to me that in claiming that it is “above his pay grade” to answer this question forthrightly, Obama essentially admits that he is unfit for the office he covets.
By the way, I think the format of this session was quite good and perhaps should be mirrored in the debate season. Each candidate got one hour with Rick Warren asking questions to them individually. McCain went second and was unable to hear the questions asked of Obama. He then was asked essentially the same questions. I like this because it allows candidates more time to give extended answers and avoids the silly schoolyard "I know you are but what am I" that typifies all too many presidential debates.
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